CONQUERING the WILD BEAST of IMMORALITY Catalog No
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PENINSULA BIBLE CHURCH CUPERTINO CONQUERING THE WILD BEAST OF IMMORALITY Catalog No. 908 Ephesians 5:3-14 SERIES: THE RESTORATION OF MANKIND Fifteenth Message Brian Morgan August 22, 1993 My family and I have just returned from a week’s vacation in Artemis of Ephesus was a strangely ornamented female fig- Lake Tahoe, which we shared with our friends the Hanneman’s. ure, shrine and basket on head, a veil decorated with beasts, On our last evening there we decided to visit a casino together. long necklaces, embroidered sleeves, legs sheathed with im- Driving to Stateline we could see in the distance the bright lights paneled animals, and with multiple breasts, or as some sug- of the casinos that allure the unwary with dreams of glamour gest, an apron covered with clusters of grapes or dates, sign and riches. Soon we found ourselves in bumper to bumper traf- and symbol of Artemis; role as the nourishing spirit of na- fic. When we got to the casino at Harrah’s, there was hardly a ture…Around the great shrine, to which worshipers and tour- parking space available. At last we made our way inside the pal- ist poured from far and near, tradesmen and hucksters found ace-like hotel. The basement, where children get to play video a living, supplying visitors with food and lodging, dedicatory games while their parents gamble upstairs, was no palace, how- offerings, and the silver souvenir models of the shrine that the ever; it looked rather dilapidated. guild of Demetrius was most interested in making and selling. The temple was also a treasury and a bank, in which private As we made our way upstairs we could hear the din of the slot individuals, kings, and cities made deposits. Coins of Ephesus machines and the occasional cheer when the dice came up or sometimes show a date palm, sacred to Artemis, and the sym- someone cashed in on a jackpot. We made our way past people bol of the goddess’ beneficent activity. packed shoulder to shoulder, some of them glassy-eyed, drinks in hand, staring blankly. We felt like cattle being herded into a Into this city then, midway through the first century A.D., pen. By one of the roulette tables I overheard a young man, prob- came the apostle Paul. He set up shop in the Hall of Tyrnannus, ably in his early twenties, making a ritual vow as he walked to and for a period of two and a half years there preached the gos- the ATM machine: “Just one more withdrawal and I’m done,” he pel of the risen Christ. His message met with astounding success. promised himself. The Baccarat tables, reserved for the very rich, Even repentant magicians were converted. They actually had a couldn’t even be approached without a month’s wages in hand. book burning, and about one-half million dollars worth of magic books went up in smoke. Demetrius, the silversmith, fearing that For those who didn't feel like gambling, a suggestive billboard the entire guild was in jeopardy, organized a riot to throw Paul advertised a cabaret (“Beyond Bare Essence”) complete with out of the city (Acts 19). The apostle left at last, but not before a showgirls. In another area, fanciers of the sporting life gathered band of Christians, loosely organized in house churches, had to gamble underneath multiple TV screens showing sporting been formed in the very shadow of the temple and tables of the events. The odds-makers sat nearby, calling out odds on football idol merchants. games and horse racing. In a corner I spied a young girl in tears as she recounted her disgust with her boyfriend to what ap- Ten years later, the apostle wrote to these Ephesian Christians peared to be a male sympathetic ear, but on a second look, the asking them to make four commitments that would enable them man seemed more like another male beast stalking his evening to conquer what I call the wild beast of immorality. We find these prey. After about 45 minutes we had had our fill. My eyes were commitments set out in chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the Ephe- blurred, my mind jaded, my clothes grimy. The parking lot out- sians, starting at verse 3, where he begins by asking the Chris- side was more crowded than ever. As we left, I heard a man say, tians to be pure in both conduct and speech. “What am I offered for this parking spot?” Outside I thought about a pastor friend who had lived in Lake I. Commitment to Sexual Purity (5:3-4) Tahoe for several years. How could anyone make an impact in a But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be city whose economy was based on immorality and greed? I won- named among you, as is proper among saints; and there dered. Then I remembered that in A.D. 52, a rather unimpressive- must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which looking Jew, a tent-maker by trade, made his way into just such a are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. city in Asia Minor. Ephesus lay at the mouth of the Cayster River valley, and was thus the gateway to the interior of eastern Asia (a) Purity In Conduct Minor. The Greeks called such a colony an emporion, or “way in,” There are two elements to this first commitment. First, the act. since through it all the trade and resources of the world outside The word immorality (porneia) comes from the verb “to sell.” We could be tapped. The city, which had excellent harbor facilities, get our term pornography from this word. Literally, it meant grew rapidly as a commercial port. Later the Romans developed “harlot for hire, prostitution or fornication”; metaphorically, it it, making it the seat of the provincial government. They called it was associated with idolatry. This word refers to all sex that is “The Landing Place.” engaged in outside the bonds of marriage; in other words, the act In the century before Christ, the area was hit with a severe eco- of selling out cheaply something that has infinite value. nomic depression. To survive, the city turned from trade to tour- Second, the effect of immorality is “impurity” (uncleanness). ism. On the San Francisco waterfront area, the old canneries have This word is used in Classical Greek for the foulness that ema- today been transformed into restaurants and tourist shops, and a nates from a wound or sore. Sexual sins create a weight of guilt, visit to the wharfs is a must for tourists. In the same way, a visit uncleanness and defilement that makes one feel ashamed. to the temple of Artemis was a must for tourists in the ancient city of Ephesus. Alexander the Great had contributed liberally to And third, the drive. “Greed” (covetousness) literally means the new temple in the city, making it a shrine of unrivaled splen- “a desire to have more because one is arrogant.” In Classical dor. It was run by a fertility cult, complete with temple prosti- Greek, the word was used of material greed. Due to their arro- tutes. Here is what one commentator, E. M. Blaiklock, has written gant presumption, some wanted to have more than their share, to concerning the cult: go beyond the bounds. Here, the word is applied to sex. Man, in his arrogance and presumption, wants to have more than his So Paul’s first word to Christians is, commit yourselves to pur- due. Lust is a wild beast with an insatiable appetite that plagues ity in your actions. mankind. A second thing is necessary. I would like to offer four practical suggestions here for how Christians should live today in light of the immorality of our (b) Purity in Speech own times. First, a word to single men. How far do you think and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jest- you are permitted to go in your relationships with women and ing, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. still remain pure? We find the answer to this question in Paul’s letter to Timothy: Treat “the younger women as sisters in all puri- We must put off three things: Filthiness, which is shameful, ty,” says Paul (1 Tim. 5:2). Women are holy, and men should base, lewd conduct, and brash sexual gestures. Likewise, we treat them as they would their own sisters. must put away foolish or silly talk. Do not treat sex lightly. Do not make jokes about it or become involved in sexual innuendo In like manner, the bride in the Song of Songs asks the young at work. And do not partake in coarse jesting. Being witty and virgins to take a similar oath: facetious, skilled at giving quick, witty answers, rapidly turning phrases and circumstances into double meanings, was an hon- “I cause you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, ored attribute in Greek society. Comedians make millions of dol- By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, lars doing this today, but these things are not fitting for Chris- That you not arouse or awaken (this kind of) love tians. Jokes and witty retorts are merely defense mechanisms to Until it pleases” (2:7). keep people at arm’s length. In summary, Christians must put off The metaphor of the gazelles and the hinds seems to be hint- any speech that defiles, devalues or is a defense mechanism, un- ing that sexual love, once it is aroused, takes off, speedily runs der the guise of humor, to keep people at a distance.